Of Pirates and Jedi
by nineteennintytwo
Summary: When Order 66 is called, former Jedi youngling Katooni is able to escape with her life. With nowhere else to go she teams up with Hondo and his band of pirates, which leads to many misadventures throughout the galaxy as they evade Darth Vader and his battalion of Stormtroopers. Rated 'T' for safety.
1. Escape Order 66

So...new story. Yeah. I know I should be finishing _Galaxies Collide_, but after seeing the newest Clone Wars episode 'A Necessary Bond', well...this came to me and wouldn't go away.

I've always loved Hondo's character. He's just awesome. And in this new episode...gah, it gave me so many feels, especially his almost father/uncle like relationship with Katooni. I wanted to explore it more.

It's set during and after Order 66, and may include some cameos from other characters depending on where I want this to go. I'm not...exactly sure where I want to go with this; I've got a good number of ideas in my head so far, but I'm open to more if anyone feels like suggesting some.

But anyway, I hope people enjoy this story...and I hope I keep Hondo in character ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own _Star Wars: The Clone Wars_.

* * *

Escape Order 66

It only takes one second for a life to change. You don't see it coming, and once the second has passed, there's no turning back to the way things were.

That's how it felt for Katooni on that one day in 19BBY when her entire life – the entire Jedi Order – crumbled around her.

She had been on Saleucami with her new Master, Stass Allie, when it happened. The Jedi Master had gone on a patrol of the planet with her Clone Commander, leaving Katooni to observe the clean-up being led by fellow Jedi Knight, J'oopi Shé. Her friend Petro, who had become the Knight's Padawan, was stood next to her.

"I can't wait to get back to the Temple and tell the others about this," he said. "Can you?"

Katooni nodded, thinking of her friends back in the Temple. All had been chosen as Padawans, but none of them had gone on missions as of yet.

"I wish there was a bit more excitement, though," Petro continued. "This is just clean-up. We can handle more than that."

"Petro, we're barely Padawans," Katooni pointed out.

"But when we were younglings, we took on pirates _and_ General Grievous. Master Kenobi said so himself; not many younglings our age could survive something like that."

Katooni agreed with him on that. Not many younglings their age _faced_ the challenges they did, let alone survived them. She still looked back on their adventures sometimes; from retrieving their lightsaber crystals to fighting for their survival. She still thought of how brave Ahsoka Tano had been fighting Grievous.

She remembered the pirate, Hondo Ohnaka who, even after attacking their ship in an attempt to steal their crystals, had turned out to be not so bad in the end. She still remembered the smile and the nod he had given her before he departed.

The Tholothian girl began to fiddle with the Padawan braid hanging out from underneath her headdress. It was made from the hair from both herself and her Master, complete with a small blue silka bead attached to the end, the same colour as her lightsaber. Petro had a similar style; it was made from only _his_ hair, however, as his Master's species didn't have any. Instead Petro had a grey silka bead on the end, to match his Master's skin tone.

The two remained silent for a few minutes, until Petro began to grown bored and looked around for entertainment.

"You want to climb the cliff?" he asked, pointing to the wall of rock which lay behind them.

Katooni looked up at the wall. It wasn't very high; the ice she had to climb in the caves of Ilum to get her crystal was a lot higher. But it still unsettled her. She looked between the wall and the Clone Troopers a short distance away, uncertain.

"I don't know," she said. "Wouldn't your Master see us?"

She pointed over to the Kadas'saNikto Jedi, who was going through some files on a data pad; a Clone Captain was stood next to him, reporting the success of the clean-up so far. Petro just shrugged when he looked, too.

"He looks busy at the moment," said the boy. "And besides; we'll get a better view from up there. We could spot something they might have missed."

Before Katooni could say anything more Petro hurried over to the cliff and began to climb. Looking over at the busy Jedi Knight and the Clones again, Katooni sighed before following her friend. She struggled at first to get a hold of the rock, but she eventually got the hang of it. The trick was to not look down.

Petro reached the top before she did, and knelt down in order to help her up.

"See?" he told her. "That wasn't so bad."

Katooni looked around. She had to admit that the view was pretty cool from the top of the cliff; she could see for miles around. Using her Jedi senses, she even sensed the location of her Master and saw her cruising along with her two Clone Troopers at her side. She was heading back in, most likely to share her report with J'oopi Shé.

That second passed. And in the next one, her entire world fell away from underneath her.

The Clone Troopers fell back suddenly, and then without warning...they fired at her. Stass Allie didn't see it coming, and didn't stand a chance; her speeder exploded underneath her, and her lifeless body was flung onto the dry grass.

Katooni froze, wide eyed. She couldn't fathom what she had just seen. Her Master – who had only been her Master for a few weeks – had been killed. By _Clone Troopers_.

Petro saw the incident as well, and looked down to where his own Master was stood. J'oopi looked up suddenly, sensing that something had happened – and he didn't realize that the Captain he had been chatting happily with only minutes before had raised his blaster behind him.

"MASTER!"

The Jedi Knight turned to Petro too late; he was shot repeatedly with the Captain's blaster, who was joined by other Troopers in the deed.

The two Padawans watched in horror, and Katooni grabbed Petro's sleeve.

"What's happening? Why are they shooting our Masters?" she asked.

That's when, to their further horror, the Captain looked up at them with his blaster raised.

"Get the Padawans!"

His Troopers followed suit, and the Padawans had only a few seconds to get away from the edge before they started firing at them. Petro kept on running, dragging Katooni behind him.

"We've got to get out of here!" he called back to her.

"But where?" she asked. "There's more Clones back on the star ship!"

"But how do you think _we_ got here?"

Katooni remembered. The Jedi starfighters. Both Padawans had squeezed into one each with their Masters on the way in, and had landed them not very far away from their position. It was their only chance.

They ran down the steep hill on the other side of the canyon, both looking over their shoulders every now and again to check whether the Clones were giving chase. As the two grew closer to the fighters the Troopers caught up and started to fire. The Padawans took out their lightsabers and deflected the blasts.

Leaping up onto a rock, Petro pulled off his signature moved – the Whirlwind of Destiny – which took out two Troopers in a row.

"Get behind!" he yelled over the noise.

Katooni hid behind the rock.

"What now?" she asked. "If we both hide behind here, they'll just move in closer and kill us that way!"

Petro leapt down beside her before pointing wordlessly and the other rocks above them. She understood what he was telling her, and nodded. They waited, listening to the footsteps of the Troopers behind them, before concentrating on the Force. They held up their hands...before bringing the rocks down.

The avalanche missed them, thanks to the Force, but it hit the Clones coming after them. When their painful cries grew silent, Katooni and Petro dared to peek; the Troopers were buried.

They kept a hold of their lightsabers just in case – but deactivated them all the same – as they continued on to the fighters. With no Clones to worry about, they could travel faster and made it without any more trouble.

"I think I can remember how these things are piloted," said Petro, leaping onto the wing of one. "I'll take one, you take the other. It's safer."

"How is that safer?" asked Katooni, beginning to climb into hers.

"Because one target is easier to hit than two," said Petro. "If I go down, then you can still escape."

"Don't say that, Petro. We'll make it. We _both_ will."

Petro nodded...but then his eyes widened and he turned, just in time to see a lone Clone Trooper take aim.

"Get down!"

They both leapt for cover, Katooni into the cockpit of her fighter and Petro to the ground. Katooni cried out in pain, having fallen on her arm awkwardly. The boy looked up, spotting the Clone Trooper handling a hand-held cannon which had been slung over his shoulder. The Human boy's eyes narrowed.

"R3?" he said, turning to the astro-droid. "Get Katooni out of here."

The droid beeped in response before shutting the cockpit. Katooni sat up, and upon seeing Petro take out his lightsaber, she realized what he was about to do and began banging on the glass with her good hand.

"Petro, no! Don't!"

Petro didn't listen. With one leap, he held his lightsaber above his head and brought it down on the Clone's cannon, just as the Trooper was aiming it at Katooni's ship.

The move cost him his life, for the Trooper pulled out a smaller blaster from his belt and shot the boy in the chest. He fell lifelessly to the ground.

"PETRO!"

Katooni continued to bang on the glass as the fighter climbed higher and higher into the atmosphere until finally, when she was worn out, she rested her forehead against the glass.

It had only taken one second for her life to change forever.

* * *

**Please review! **


	2. Hondo

So I decided to write and upload the next chapter as well because, taking a wild guess, everyone wants to see Hondo. Like, right now. So I give you Hondo XD I just hope he's in character...

Enjoy!

* * *

Hondo

What happened after that passed by in a blur. Word must have gotten out of Katooni's escape, for when her fighter left the planet she was immediately attacked by a small number of fighters sent out from the star ship in orbit.

R3 did most of the fighting, and the flying. Katooni admired the droid's bravery; it was able to shoot down two of the three fighters in pursuit. When they approached the two docking rings in orbit, R3 began to type in random coordinates as the lone fighter kept on shooting, this time at the rings. It shot one down...but then R3 entered the other one, and the moment it did, engaged the hyper-drive.

Safely in hyper-space, Katooni allowed herself to sit back, taking in deep breaths in order to calm herself down.

Her Master had been shot down. Then Petro's Master. Then Petro himself. All done by Clone Troopers.

Katooni couldn't understand why the Clones would turn on them. Were they faulty Clones? It wouldn't be the first time a Clone had done this; she had heard a number of stories about Clones betraying the Republic.

But that was usually one acting alone. This...this was all of them. She wondered if this had happened anywhere else and thought about contacting someone, but then she realized that trying to make contact could be dangerous.

She thought of her friends back in the Temple, and bit her lip to prevent the tears from falling. She was _not_ going to cry. Jedi didn't cry, no matter the circumstance. Instead she released her feelings into the Force, just like she had been taught to, and closed her eyes to meditate.

But that still didn't take away the pain she felt; pain that wasn't coming from her arm. She felt...alone.

Apart from that one time in the caves of Ilum, she had never been alone. She had always relied on those around her; her Clan Master back at the Temple, her teachers, Ahsoka for a time, her friends (mainly Petro), and to an extent, Hondo – although she had reversed the role by convincing him to go back for Ahsoka and the other younglings during their escape from Florrum.

Now she only had R3, and he was a droid. Katooni curled herself up into a ball while cradling her injured arm, feeling suddenly cold.

She barely registered coming out of hyper-space next to a familiar planet – and a familiar ship.

* * *

"Hey, Hondo!"

The pirate captain turned to acknowledge the voice; he sat in his chair in the centre of the ship, the rest of his men around him in their own seats.

"Yes, what is it?" he asked.

"I've got a starfighter on my readout," the pirate said. "One of those Jedi starfighters, by the looks of it."

"Jedi?" Hondo repeated, his face brightening up. "Ha! Must be my old friend Kenobi coming to visit! Hopefully he hasn't brought those tattooed crazies with him. Or maybe it's Skywalker; haven't seen him in a long time."

He stood up from his chair and walked over to the screen, waving his hands to get the pirate to move his head aside. Hondo bent down and took a look; the starfighter didn't look familiar. But then again, if it was either Kenobi or Skywalker, they could have smashed up their own and brought a new one.

"They haven't even detached from their docking ring yet," said the pirate. "Does that mean something's up?"

"Hmm..." Hondo said, thinking. "Make contact with them."

The pirate nodded and proceeded to press a few buttons on his control panel.

"Hey, Jedi. Identify yourself."

The gruff voice roused Katooni from her trance, and glancing up, she looked at the controls in front of her. The voice continued through her communications, and she blinked before gazing out the window in front of her.

There was a saucer-like ship before her, not very far away, and behind it a planet. Both looked familiar...but in her dazed state Katooni couldn't put her finger on where she had seen either before.

The voice repeated itself again, and Katooni was unsure whether or not to respond. Whoever it was didn't sound like a Clone Trooper...but that didn't mean the person was any less dangerous. But the idea of being on her own – trying to survive in the galaxy alone – made her press the button to respond. It was worth the risk.

"I'm here," she said simply.

Back on the pirate ship, Hondo blinked in surprise. It wasn't Kenobi or Skywalker; the voice sounded young.

"We know you are, Jedi. We can see you!" said the pirate. "Now identify yourself!"

In her fighter, Katooni hesitated.

"Are you Republic or Separatist?" she asked.

She didn't know which she would prefer. The Separatists were...well, the Separatists. But the Clone Troopers of the Republic had attacked her and killed her Master...and Petro.

On his ship, Hondo laughed out loud and leaned in to answer the question himself.

"We're pirates! We're on _neither_ side! I thought you Jedi already knew that?"

With a gasp, Katooni felt a flicker of hope in her gut. She knew that voice – and it was one she never thought she'd be so pleased to hear.

"Hondo!"

On the other end, Hondo was surprised by the sudden outburst...but then he laughed.

"You've heard of me! My, I'm feeling so popular. Never knew I had such a devoted fan."

Katooni could have laughed.

"No, Hondo, it's me! Katooni!"

Hondo recognized that name...and then he brightened up.

"Little Jedi! You came all the way out here to come see your old Uncle Hondo! Why, I'm flattered."

Katooni bit her lip.

"Well, I didn't _exactly_ come here purposely," she admitted. "I didn't know where I was before you contacted me. I...kind of left in a hurry."

"And why, may I ask? And are you alone?"

But Katooni couldn't reply. It was too hard for her.

"It's...a long story."

For a moment, the other end was silent.

"Maybe you could tell old Uncle Hondo face to face? We'll open up for you. Come, come!"

Knowing she couldn't stay out in Space forever, Katooni decided to do it. After all, she had nowhere else to go – and better Hondo than the Separatists or the Clone Troopers.

"R3, you heard him."

The droid beeped in response before detaching them from the docking ring and flying them over to the ship. Below the ship a door was opening, just big enough to fit them in, and the droid flew them inside. Once the door shut, they landed.

The cockpit opened and Katooni hopped out. Hondo made his way towards her, arms wide open in greeting.

"Tiny Jedi, not so tiny anymore!" he exclaimed. "Child, you've grown! You used to be here, and now, you're _here_!"

He placed a hand just above his waist, before moving it up barely an inch to demonstrate what he meant.

Seeing a familiar face – after everything she had seen and been through – sent a huge flood of relief through Katooni, and before she could stop herself from doing so, she crossed the gap between him and hugged him.

Hondo took a step back in surprise and just stared down at her, his arms suspended above him, and unsure how to react to this...tiny Jedi attacking him in such a way. When he began to get strange looks from his men, Hondo placed his arms on her shoulders and pulled her from him.

"Yes, pleased to see you too," he told her, falling into his sarcasm mode.

Katooni either didn't realize this – or didn't care. She was safe for now, and no longer alone.

* * *

**Please review! **


	3. On Florrum

So here's the next chapter...along with two more chapters! I was on a writing spree today! :D

I'm still willing to accept some ideas for future plot points. I have some things planned out already; for example, I want them to go back to Coruscant and the Jedi Temple, and I want them to have a run in with Obi-Wan as well. I'd planned these things since the beginning. I have a few more (which are surprises) but I'm open to more ideas. Don't be shy!

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy these next three chapters!

* * *

On Florrum

The ride back to Florrum was silent.

Katooni didn't speak, and Hondo didn't want to press her. She had been one of the more timid younglings out of the group he had encountered, and he knew she wouldn't speak if pressed too much; she would say something in her own time.

But there was her behaviour surrounding her arrival, and the situation itself. The hug she had given him had surprised the pirate; when they last parted they had left on good terms, but Hondo didn't expect her to be _that_ happy to see him. None of the other Jedi ever were whenever they were reunited.

At least, Kenobi and Skywalker never were, even when they meet in situations where they're on the same side.

Then there was her arrival itself. Hondo had learnt his lesson from before that younglings didn't travel alone; they always had an older Jedi escort with them. Katooni had been alone with no one but a droid accompanying her. That in itself was strange.

There was also the fact that she was holding her arm in pain.

The pirate looked down at the young Jedi, noticing her Padawan braid. Padawans sometimes travelled without an older Jedi; Ahsoka had done so when escorting the younglings. But she was older and experienced – Katooni _wasn't_, meaning she should still have at least her Master with her.

Something had happened, and although Hondo wanted to find out what, he knew that whatever it was, it hadn't been good.

The ship landed on Florrum, and the pirates disembarked. Katooni stayed close to Hondo with R3 by her side, and trotted to keep up with the pirate whenever she fell a few steps behind. The base had been rebuilt, looking as it had done when she was last there. There were many pirates dotted around the place; they looked up and watched her pass before getting back to their jobs.

Katooni kept her gaze averted to the ground to avoid the eyes of the pirates. Hondo turned and looked down at her, and seeing how hesitant she was, he patted her shoulder.

"Come, come," he told her. "Let's have a droid look at that arm of yours."

"Arm?" Katooni questioned.

"Yes, the one you're holding in pain."

She looked down at where she was self-consciously holding her left arm, the one she had hurt during her escape from the Clone Troopers. Blinking in surprise, she realized she had forgotten all about it, and remembering the injury made her aware of just how much it hurt.

"Oh," she said, trying to mask her pain. "That arm."

Hondo didn't know what to say to this, so instead led her inside without another word. They passed the main room where most of the pirates were drinking, and continued down a long hall until they reached the medical bay.

A medical droid was stood lifelessly in the corner, and Hondo switched it on under the chin as he and Katooni entered the room. The droid stumbled to life, trying to get its bearings in the few seconds that followed.

"What can I do for you?" he asked when he finally spotted Hondo.

"I have a youngling here who's hurt her arm," said Hondo, gesturing to the space where he thought Katooni was stood, but looking down he realized she wasn't there, and turned to find her stood behind him. "Ah! There you are, little Jedi!"

He picked her up under her arms and placed her on the table in the centre of the room, and the droid walked over to her.

"May I see?" he asked, and Katooni held out her arm. "Hmm... There does not seem to be any external damage. How did you hurt it?"

"I leapt into a fighter and landed on it awkwardly," she explained.

Hondo raised what would be his eyebrow if he were a Human, wondering why she had leapt into a fighter in such a way. The droid continued to examine Katooni's arm, bending it to see how she reacted. Bending her elbow didn't hurt, but bending her wrist _did_, and the droid nodded after deciding the problem.

"She has bruised a bone in her wrist," the droid reported to Hondo. "It is nothing serious, but I suggest dressing it and making her rest it for a few cycles. If it is not healed by that time, consult me again."

"Yes, very well, thank you," said Hondo, dismissing the droid with a wave of his hand before switching it off again.

He then walked over to a series of draws and opened one up, taking out a roll of bandages. The pirate walked back over to Katooni, beginning to unwrap the bandage from its roll.

"I didn't know you had a medical bay here," Katooni asked, wanting to make conversation but not knowing what else to say.

"Being a pirate is an occupational hazard," said Hondo, taking the girl's hand gently in his own before beginning wrap the bandage around her wrist. "We need to treat each other somehow."

"Oh," said Katooni, and then after a second thought, added, "Thank you."

"For what?" Hondo asked with surprise.

"For helping me," she replied. "You didn't have any profit to gain in letting me into your ship and bringing me here. But you did."

"Yes, well, I have to keep up a good reputation with the Jedi," the pirate replied. "I may need their help again one day. Picking up lost younglings is an easy way to stay in their good books. But as payment, how about telling Uncle Hondo what happened?"

Katooni looked away, unsure how to reply...but she guessed that she did owe Hondo, so sighed.

"Our Clone Troopers turned on us."

Hondo paused what he was doing and looked at her with genuine shock.

"They turned on you?" he repeated. "But I thought those Clones are bred to be loyal soldiers?"

"They _are_," Katooni explained, as Hondo continued wrapping again. "But for some reason, they turned on us. Petro and I were on Salucami with our Masters when it happened. My Master, Stass Allie, was on patrol; she was just coming back in with two Troopers when they suddenly pulled back and fired, killing her. Petro's Master, J'oopi Shé, was next. He was shot down by the Troopers around him."

"So you two ran?"

"Yes, at first," said Katooni. "We were able to crush some of them by using the Force to bring down heavy rocks on their heads. Then we ran back to the starfighters to escape, but a Clone started shooting at us. Petro...Petro leapt at him in order to let me escape. He...he didn't..."

She screwed her eyes shut to prevent the tears from falling; she didn't want to cry in front of Hondo, of all people. The pirate was silent as he continued to wrap her wrist in a bandage, and when he was done, stepped back to admire his work.

"There. That should heal up nicely, so long as you don't play with your laser sword," he told her.

Katooni nodded and went to jump down, but Hondo beat her to it and plucked her off the table in the same manner he had picked her up; he placed her back on the floor.

"What do I do now?" she asked.

"You're welcome to stay here, small one," said Hondo, in the same tone of voice he had used back when he'd asked her a similar question all those months ago. "For as long as it takes for this mess of yours to...clear itself up."

Katooni opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted when Gwarm, Hondo's second in command, came running and skidded to a halt outside the door.

"Hondo! You better come take a look at this!" he reported. "It's all over the HoloNet!"

"What is?" asked the Captain. "What's happened?"

"The Jedi rebelled against the Republic! They've all been killed!"

Katooni gasped and gripped Hondo's sleeve. She couldn't believe the words she'd just heard, and closed her eyes hoping that when she opened them again, things would be back to normal.

_The Jedi wouldn't rebel... They couldn't have been killed..._

But remembering what had happened to Petro and their Masters, she knew it to be true.

Hondo's eyes narrowed before pushing past Gwarm, heading for the main room of his base. Katooni hurried to catch up, and Gwarm followed suit. They all walked in silence until they reached the main room; Hondo's pirates were gathered around a large screen, and Hondo pushed his way through with Katooni clutching his sleeve tightly so she didn't lose him.

When they reached the front, both looked up at the screen. It showed the Senate, and in the centre, the Chancellor was stood wearing a dark cloak which covered his face – a face which had been scarred.

Katooni instantly felt the darkness surrounding him, and partly hid behind Hondo out of fear. She knew only a Sith could have that amount of darkness surrounding him, and began to shake at the thought of the Chancellor – the man they had been serving for so long – being the Sith Lord they were after all along.

"_The Jedi hoped to release their destructive power against the Republic by assassinating the head of government and usurping control of the Clone Army,_" Palpatine was saying. "_But the aims of the would-be tyrants were valiantly opposed by our loyal Clone Troopers, who contained the insurrection within the Jedi Temple and quelled the uprisings on thousands of worlds. The remaining Jedi will be hunted down and defeated!_"

His words were met with applause. Katooni couldn't believe what she was hearing; she refused to believe that the Jedi would do such a thing.

"Lies..." she whispered.

"_The attempt on my life has left me scarred, and deformed,_" Palpatine continued. "_But I assure you, my resolve has never been stronger!_"

He was met with more applause. Katooni retreated further behind Hondo, who found himself placing an arm around her shoulders.

"_The war is over,_" Palpatine announced. "_The Separatists have been defeated, and the Jedi rebellion has been foiled. We stand on the threshold of a new beginning. In order to ensure our security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the __first__ Galactic EMPIRE!_"

There was a thunderous applause. Katooni took in deep breaths, unable to believe any of this was happening. The war was over. The Republic was no more. The Jedi Order was no more. All the Jedi were dead.

And she was the only Jedi still alive.

* * *

I found Palpatine's extended speech on _Wookiepedia_, which I decided to use for the story.

Please review!


	4. Aftermath

And here's the second chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

Aftermath

Hondo sat by the bed, watching the little Jedi as she slept. Her headdress had been removed, revealing her short, dark hair which lay loosely around her calm, yet troubled face.

It had been days since the formation of the Empire.

After the announcement on the HoloNet Katooni had gone into shock, trembling and unable to form proper words. Hondo was in the right mood to understand, and was even able to sympathize with her; her entire world – everything she'd ever known – was gone. And it was all because of the man who she'd once thought of as a great leader.

It reminded the pirate of when he had been sold into slavery – by his own parents.

Since then, Katooni spent most of her time in the sleeping quarters, in one of the private rooms Hondo reserved for...adult activities. He reasoned it was one place where she wouldn't be disturbed. The pirate himself travelled back and forwards, checking on the small Jedi and discussing things with his men.

They were restless and confused; they didn't know what this new order meant to them, or what it could do to their business. Would things be the same as they were during the Republic? Or would this new Empire be worse than the Separatists?

In the end, the pirates resorted to drinking away their unease, and had done so for the days that followed.

Hondo could hear their loud grunts and laughter from where he was sat, along with the occasional curse and gunshot. He didn't want to leave the room and join them in case one of his men came in and decided to...take advantage of Katooni asleep on the bed. Plus, he only got drunk when there was reason to celebrate.

Looking down at Katooni, he felt there wasn't _any_ reason to celebrate.

He himself had found the death of the Jedi hard to take in. The Jedi were...well, the Jedi. Honourable, strong and just. They wouldn't try and take over the Republic without good reason – like finding out the Republic was controlled by a crazy Sith Lord.

And there was the fact that a single Jedi was worth a hundred men. The pirate found it hard to believe that all the Jedi had been killed. Some, maybe; a Jedi had been killed in his very stronghold when fighting the two crazy Sith Lords who attacked him. But all of them? He thought at least Kenobi and Skywalker survived. They were too powerful _not_ to.

His train of thoughts continued, and he eventually began to drift off into a semi-sleep where he was not quite asleep but not quite awake.

He was pulled from this by a scream.

Hondo immediately leapt to his feet, took out two blasters and held them in front of him, ready to blast the threat half way across the galaxy. After scanning the room and seeing no one he turned his attention to Katooni, who was sat upright in the bed, shaking with fear in her eyes.

"It was a nightmare," she informed.

The pirate looked down at his blasters, then back at her, before putting the blasters away and taking his seat again.

"If I could blast the nightmare away, I would," he told her. "But it was just a nightmare. Nothing to be afraid of."

"But when you're a Jedi, sometimes that's not the case," Katooni explained. "Sometimes we have visions of the future. And sometimes the future...isn't a good one."

Hondo was curious about this. Jedi could see the future? Ever since his first encounter with them, he had always been intrigued by the Jedi and their ways with the Force. For years, he had never believed in any superior being or force controlling everything that happened; there was no evidence, for starters. And the reason his parents had sold him into slavery was because the Weequay God told them to – although he knew it was just an excuse to get money.

But when he met the Jedi, they brought evidence with them and he had been intrigued ever since.

The idea of them seeing the future brought to life that curious part of him which mostly remained buried under his desire for profit.

"What did you see?" he asked Katooni.

"I'm...not entirely sure," she replied. "It was some kind of...black mask. A breathing mask, I think. I could hear the breaths... They were deep and slow. And the one the mask belonged to... He was holding a red lightsaber. He brought it down on me...and then I woke up."

"With a scream loud enough to scare a gundark," said Hondo.

Katooni giggled a little. Then she climbed out of the bed and walked over to the dressing table where her lightsaber and headdress had been placed, along with the bands to tie up her hair. She used them to tie her hair into two flat buns on the back of her head before placing the headdress on top, tightly and securely enough to make it look like she had no hair at all.

Her Padawan braid still hung down, and Katooni brushed it behind her ear. Hondo noticed it.

"You might want to cut that," he suggested.

"Why?" the girl asked. "I want to have...some memory of my Master."

"That won't be any use to you if you're _dead_," said the pirate. "If you want to hide from the Empire, then you need to get rid of it. Those Jedi robes need to go, as well."

Katooni looked down at her robes and saw his point. She'd heard what Palpatine said; any remaining Jedi – if there were any left – were being hunt down and killed. If she wanted to hide, she needed to get rid of the robes; they were a dead give away.

But she was reluctant to get rid of her braid.

"I'll tie up the braid with the rest of my hair," she told him, taking off her headdress again to do just that. "And I'll change out of my robes if you bring me something else to wear."

"Not so many demands, your highness," Hondo mocked. "It may take some time. My men don't change clothes and it's not like we have child's clothing to spare. But we'll be on the look-out."

"You mean you'll take a public transport hostage until they give you what you want."

The pirate laughed as Katooni finished putting on her headdress again.

"Oh, you know me so well, tiny Jedi," he said.

The door opened slightly and Hondo's two pet monkey-lizards, Pilf and Pikk, ran in. Pilf – the red and green one – was in front while Pikk – the blue and yellow one – was chasing him. They leapt around the room, even hopping over Hondo's shoulder, and then Pilf leapt on Katooni's head before jumping off again, causing her headdress to shift over her eyes.

Pikk then landed on her shoulder, and seeing her predicament, he adjusted the headdress back to its rightful position. When Katooni saw the creature she smiled, and gave it a 'thank you' pat on the head. In response the creature rubbed its head against her cheek affectionately, causing the girl to giggle.

Pilf landed on Hondo's shoulder, who chuckled at the sight before him.

"Looks like you've made a new friend," he said. "Little Jedi, meet Pilf and Pikk, the most competent members in my ranks."

"Really?" she questioned, wondering how these two creatures could be as he said; although considering how his men were drunk most of the time, she could see what he meant. "Well, maybe they know where I can find something to wear?"

Pikk just gave her a confused look.

"There's no rush, small one," said Hondo. "We'll find you something eventually."

"I don't want to waste time," said Katooni. "I...I want to go back to Coruscant."

Hondo's eyes widened.

"That's crazy!" he exclaimed. "Even for you Jedi! It's suicide! And what about that arm of yours? How will you fight with it hurt?"

"My arm's _fine_," she insisted. "And I have to go back to the Temple. I have to...I have to see for myself. It was my home."

Hondo was tempted...he really was. The idea of seeing the inside of the Jedi Temple with his own eyes... But like he said, the mission was suicidal. Plus, there was hardly any profit in it for him.

"Well, you'll be going alone," said Hondo, walking past her. "I'm not willing to risk such a venture for nothing. The Temple is impossible to break into!"

"Oh, that's a shame. The Jedi are dead, and that means the Temple isn't guarded. Including the Holocron Vault."

Hondo paused and turned back to her.

"The Holocron Vault?" he questioned.

"Yes," she said with a nod. "Everything about the Jedi, all our secrets, are stored inside that vault. That includes the memory crystals and the Holocrons needed to read those crystals. All of it's unguarded – and all of it is very valuable. They're worth a lot."

Seeing the smile widen across the pirate's face, Katooni knew she had him. It really wasn't very hard to tempt him, knowing the motivation which drives him on – profit.

"Well, that settles that, then!" he announced. "We're going to Coruscant to get ourselves some Holocrons!"

He strode down the halls of his base, heading straight for the main room where his pirates would be sprawled across chairs and the floor itself, drunk as anything.

Katooni followed, Pikk still on her shoulder, with her lightsaber now in her hand. She looked down at it, thinking about the mission ahead of her.

_I know I won't like what I find...but I'm determined to face it_.

* * *

Please review!


	5. To the Jedi Temple

Third chapter of the day! Enjoy!

* * *

To the Jedi Temple

The pirates were able to land their ship in the rough area of Coruscant, where people didn't care who you were and what you were there for, so long as they were tipped a good price.

It was night when they arrived, and were able to travel across the city undercover in an old speeder. Katooni kept close to Hondo as she watched the world passing by, pulling her cloak closer around her whenever she saw Clone Troopers on the road.

Her heart sank when a Clone held out a hand to stop them, and the pirate driving pulled over. All of them were wearing cloaks like Katooni – even Hondo – and Katooni guessed that it must have looked suspicious.

"State your name and business," the Trooper asked.

Thankfully Hondo had planned for everything, and knew what he was doing.

"Honaka Ohndo," he replied. "We're visiting relatives."

That usually would have been enough. Not for this Trooper.

"Can I see your identifications?" he asked.

Katooni sensed Hondo tense up, and behind her a pirate cursed under his breath.

"The droids were a lot dumber than this."

Then Katooni had an idea. She hadn't tried it for real, but she'd been practising – and she'd discovered earlier in her training that most Clone Troopers had weak minds.

"You don't need to see our identifications," she said, waving a hand in the Trooper's direction.

"I don't need to see your identifications," he repeated.

"We can go on our way now."

"You can go on your way now."

The pirate driving didn't waste time in speeding away, and most of the other pirates including Hondo himself gave Katooni looks of shock. She shrugged.

"Mind trick," she explained. "They only work on the weak minded."

"You Jedi are getting more interesting with every passing day," Hondo chuckled.

They arrived at the Temple not long after, and once they parked the speeder behind a building, the pirates hurried to take cover before surveying the scene. Several Clone Troopers were stood outside, organizing something at the steps.

"I thought you said it would be unguarded?" Hondo questioned.

"I thought it would be," she replied honestly. "But it'll probably be easier to get into than before."

"If you say so," said the pirate, before turning to his men. "No blaster fire. We don't want to attract any unwanted attention. Just swords."

Katooni remembered back to the fight on Florrum, when Hondo had used a normal sword to take down the attacking droids. That had taken guts. She ignited her lightsaber before the group made their way through the shadows, creeping up on the Clone Troopers. They hid behind the statues outside the Temple and Katooni was able to hear what the Troopers were saying.

"The mass burning will be done tomorrow night," one Trooper was saying to another.

"It's about time they get those bodies removed," the other said back. "It smells rotten in there."

Knowing what he was referring to, Katooni's eyes narrowed before she leapt out from her hiding space and landed on the second Trooper's shoulders, bringing her lightsaber down into his helmet. Before the first Trooper could say anything she slashed him and cut his head clean off.

Hearing the disturbance the other Troopers came running, but were ambushed by the hiding pirates, who were able to take them out quickly and efficiently without even a single blaster going off. Hondo used an electro-staff he'd brought with him, and took out the most.

When the Troopers were dead, the group made their way inside...and they had only reached the front door when they were met with the fallen body of a Jedi.

Katooni bit her lip, fighting back her tears as she looked around the dark Temple. Jedi were laying everywhere; Masters, Knights, Padawans...even younglings. Taking in a deep breath, Katooni began to lead the way through the Temple, trying not to cry in front of the pirates.

But the pirates themselves were in shock at what they were seeing. A graveyard of bodies, all of whom had died innocently and without cause, because of a power-crazy Sith Lord who had completed the Sith's thousand-year plan for revenge. Hondo couldn't say a word; no jovial response he could think of would have been appropriate.

The Tholothian Jedi led the pirates to the Jedi Archives; the door was open, and on the floor was Madam Jocasta Nu.

"Not even Madam Nu survived," Katooni spoke.

She walked passed the elderly Jedi, the pirates behind her, and headed straight for the vault where the Holocrons were kept with their crystals. Using the Force, she opened it and stepped inside. The rows of Holocrons surrounded them, each giving out blue light to show they were still there.

"They haven't been taken yet. Good," said Katooni.

Hondo nodded to his men, who immediately spread out and began placing the Holocrons into the sacks they had brought with them.

"What about the crystals?" the pirate captain then asked.

"They're here somewhere," the Jedi replied, using the Force to feel through the chamber. "They used to be kept on Devaron and watched over by Master Bolla Ropal, but when a Holocron was stolen and Master Ropal was killed, the Council decided to keep the crystals here as well."

Through the Force she located their position, and concentrated on the Force again. A red pyramid-shaped tile – located beneath where the Holocrons were kept alongside others like it – popped out, and Katooni reached inside. She pulled out a large box, and opening it up she found it was full of blue crystals. They all looked alike, but Katooni found that the Force told her which crystal went with which Holocron. She closed the lid.

"Here you go," she said, turning back to Hondo and handing it to him.

He nodded before handing it to Gwarm who, after looking for a place to put it, just stuffed it into his sack.

"That's all of them," Hondo announced. "Now let's signal Parsel back on the ship and tell him to come pick us up. I don't want to be stopped again."

"Wait."

Hondo turned to Katooni, who looked hesitant.

"What is it now?" he asked.

"There...might be other valuable things we can take," she told him.

Hondo thought about this before shrugging.

"Worth a look."

Katooni led the way out of the Holocron Vault and then out of the Archives. In truth, she wanted to check something... The reason she had come back to the Temple in the first place. Hondo looked around him, scanning the area for anything worth stealing, but deep down Katooni realized that he knew she'd lied to him. And yet, he was going along with it.

Katooni had to wonder whether he was a good guy or a bad guy.

Finally she drew to a halt, and Hondo and the rest of the pirates halted behind her. Katooni bit her lip so hard to prevent herself from crying that she ended up drawing blood.

She'd known. She'd known all along, and what she saw confirmed what she felt.

Gungi, Zatt, Ganodi and Byph were lifelessly lying together, their lightsabers by their hands. Gungi's Master, the Human Ali-Alann, was lying in front of them, along with Ganodi's Master, the Human Olana Chion. Zatt's Master, Tru Veld, and Byph's Master, Agen Kolar, were not present, but deep down Katooni sensed that they were dead, too.

What made the scene even more heartbreaking, though, was the group of younglings who were lying dead behind them. Her friends had died protecting the next generation of Jedi – all in vain.

The girl fell to her knees and held her head low, just as a tear finally escaped her eye.

She then felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see Hondo crouched down next to her, sending her a look she had never seen on him before – one she didn't know he was capable of.

Wiping the tear from her eye, Katooni smiled at him...but it faded when she felt something through the Force. Something she dared not to hope was true... A life-Force. She turned away from Hondo and crawled over to where part of a wall had collapsed, before she peered inside a gap in the rubble.

She was met with the wide, terrified blue eyes of a youngling.

He was a Human male, appeared to be around the age of six, and when Katooni looked closer she saw that he was clutching another youngling the same age as him, who's face was buried in his chest. She was a female Human, and turning around, Katooni saw she had the same blue eyes as the boy. Twins.

"Younglings! Alive!" she called to Hondo. "They look terrified. It's OK, little ones. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm a Jedi, see?"

She held out her lightsaber and ignited it. But instead of the reaction she was expecting, the two younglings cowered away from the blue light; the girl buried her face into the boy's chest again while he let out a frightened whimper.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Why are you scared of my lightsaber? You shouldn't be."

"I think I know why."

Katooni turned back to Hondo, who was examining Gungi; the Wookie had been lying on his side before, but Hondo had turned him over so he was lying on his back.

"Why?" she asked.

"Your friend wasn't killed by a blaster," Hondo replied. "He was killed by a lightsaber."

* * *

And now I'm going to leave you all on a cliffhanger XD

Please review!


	6. Darth Vader

So it's been, what, over two months since my last update? Really sorry about that, but real life got in the way and I could only find the time to update my other story.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter, and as the title suggests, a familiar face shows up...

* * *

Darth Vader

Hondo's words processed in Katooni's head as she looked back at the younglings, and then at her fallen friends.

She'd already known that the Sith were involved in the slaughter of the Jedi Temple. Having seen a Sith already just days prior, it wasn't a long jump to that conclusion. And it would explain how Gungi and her friends had been killed by a lightsaber.

But through the Force, the young Jedi could feel that something didn't add up. The two surviving younglings were scared of her lightsaber when they shouldn't be; Katooni could understand that they would be jumpy, but a Sith's lightsaber was always red.

So why didn't they like her blue one?

"It's OK," she told the younglings again, trying to use the Force to show she wasn't a threat to them. "We're here to help."

"We?" Hondo questioned.

"But we can't help you unless you come out," Katooni continued, ignoring the pirate. "Then we can get you something to eat, and you can tell us what happened. Come on, it's all right."

She held out a hand in their direction. The two younglings exchanged glances before the boy began to climb out of the rubble, closely followed by his sister. Katooni used the Force to keep the rubble stable as the children crawled before her, and she helped them get to their feet; the twins instantly clutched each others' hands.

"We come here for Holocrons," Hondo commented, "and we get...younglings."

"We can't just leave them here," said Katooni. "Maybe we can find a home for them somewhere?"

"Tiny Jedi, I have many clients, and they're not great lovers of children – and those who _are_, well... Let's not get into that."

Katooni ignored him. Again. Her focus turned on the younglings stood before her, for she needed to know what had set them on edge – she needed to know why they had cowered from her lightsaber.

"Who attacked the Temple, other than the Clones?" she asked them as gently as she could. "Was it a Sith?"

The girl looked down at the floor, unable to reply, but the boy was still able to speak.

"Bad Jedi," he replied. "Blue li'saber like yours."

Katooni feared that would be the answer, and she didn't like it. She had heard stories about Jedi gone rogue; Count Dooku had once been a Jedi, and a Jedi Master named Pong Krell had turned to the dark side during the Clone Wars. With the death of Count Dooku, she realized, the Sith Lord she had seen must have been able to corrupt another Jedi.

But which Jedi?

Suddenly she was sent a warning through the Force. They were not alone in the Temple, but instead of a surviving Jedi, Katooni sensed the growing darkness and realized it was a Sith. The one she had seen before, or the one who was once a Jedi? She didn't know, but she knew it was bad.

"Someone's coming," she informed Hondo. "We need to leave now."

"About time," said Hondo, before activating his comm-link. "Parsel, bring the ship to the Temple and meet us by the tower which still stands."

"_I'll be there._"

"All right," Hondo continued to his men, shutting the comm-link off. "Let's get out of here."

That was when they heard it.

A low, heavy breathing.

Katooni instantly froze, and a shiver was sent down her spine when she realized...she knew that breathing. It had been in her nightmare back on Florrum. And with that memory came a feeling of dread, for she knew the owner of that breathing was something even a Jedi would fear.

Everyone turned, in time to see a dark figure appear from around the corner; he was dressed all in black, including a black cloak...and a black helmet, or breathing mask. It was like nothing any of them had ever seen, and instantly the group were alert. The pirates took out their blasters, Hondo prepared his electro-staff and Katooni drew her lightsaber, placing herself between the one she realized was a Sith and the terrified younglings.

The Sith observed them slowly, the cold and empty eye sockets of his helmet making them all uncertain and fearful.

"Common pirates," he finally spoke in a deep voice. "Nothing but a speck that can be wiped clean. And you have Jedi with you. Young ones. This shouldn't take much effort."

A lightsaber appeared in his hand, and when he activated it, a red blade appeared. The pirates look hesitant to confront him.

"How bad can he be?" Hondo stated, seeing that his men needed some encouraging. "He can barely move in that suit of his! Open fire!"

The pirates fired on him. But the Sith, despite his obviously restricted movement, was able to return the blasts and kill off a few pirates, and any blasts that he didn't get either passed him or hit his armour – not even leaving a dent in it.

Realizing the Sith was tougher than he let on, Hondo turned to his men.

"Gwarm, lead the men up the tower and meet with Parsel," he told his second-in-command. "Take the younglings with you. And if I see any of them running back to help me, it'll be on your head!"

Then, activating his electro-staff, he rushed forwards to face the Sith head on.

"You heard him! Get moving!" Gwarm commanded the remaining pirates, who didn't waste time in turning and running for their lives.

Katooni pushed the two younglings along with her, but kept on looking back at Hondo; she knew he had faced Ahsoka before, and he'd only made it out of there in one piece because she hadn't wanted to hurt him. How long would he last against a Sith Lord who had been responsible for the deaths of so many highly skilled Jedi?

Hondo was a pirate, sure, but he had still taken her in when she had nowhere else to go, and had kept her in his base out of harms way. He deserved better than death at the hands of a Sith Lord.

"Keep moving, Jedi!" Gwarm shouted to her.

Soon they were hurrying outside at the top of the tower, just as the ship arrived and opened up. The pirates hurried on board, and when Katooni got the younglings on safely, she hesitated. The young Jedi looked behind her, but there was no sign of Hondo.

Searching through the Force, she sensed he was still alive...but she also sensed that he was struggling.

"Come on, Jedi! Hurry up!" Gwarm yelled again.

"Wait a few minutes!" Katooni yelled back. "We can't leave without Hondo!"

And with that, she ran back inside. Gwarm watched her go with wide eyes.

"Hondo's gonna kill me!"

* * *

Hondo was thankful that the Sith's ability to deflect a blaster bolt was better than his one-on-one combat skills.

He could see that the Sith was a born fighter, but he could also see that he wasn't used to his suit; whenever he tried to perform a specific move, the suit restricted him from doing so and he was left vulnerable. At least until he perform another, less restricting move.

Hondo guessed that whoever this Sith had been before, he couldn't have been in this suit any longer than a week. Of course, this didn't stop him from being hard to fight.

"It was noble of you to let your group go while you held me off," said the Sith. "But it won't work. Once I've killed you, they will be next. And that little Jedi will be the first to go."

A nerve was struck in Hondo – which surprised even himself – and he used his electro-staff to pound a harder blow at the Sith. The Sith wasn't surprised; in fact, he seemed amused.

"I always thought there was a heart of gold in their somewhere," he said.

"So you've heard of me?" asked Hondo.

"We have met several times, Hondo Ohnaka. And fought several times, as well," said the Sith. "You also fought my Padawan on one occasion."

"Padawan?" Hondo questioned. "You must be...mistaken. I've only fought one Padawan learner, and that was-"

"Ahsoka Tano."

Hondo paused, and not even _he_ could deny his shock – for at that moment, he knew _exactly_ who this Sith was.

"Skywalker?"

This time, it was he who struck a nerve in the Sith.

"Skywalker is _dead!_" he screamed, and suddenly Hondo found himself on the floor within seconds, his electro-staff cut in half and a red lightsaber aimed at his throat. "Only Vader remains in his place. _Darth_ Vader."

He raised the lightsaber to deliver the final blow, and Hondo flinched...but just as he brought it down, a blue lightsaber blocked its path and pushed it back.

Both looked to see Katooni standing ready in determination, her eyes narrowed in the direction of Vader.

"You mess with him, and you mess with me," she proclaimed.

"Jedi?" Hondo questioned, unable to comprehend why Katooni would come back for him.

"Do not underestimate my power, Jedi," Vader warned. "Your skills with a lightsaber are no match for my own."

"Who said anything about lightsabers?"

With that Katooni stretched out with the Force, and with a wave of her hand, brought the already unsteady roof crashing down upon the Sith. He only had time to cover his head before he was buried underneath the rubble.

Deactivating her lightsaber, Katooni reached out a hand towards Hondo before helping him up.

"It seems I owe you my thanks, tiny Jedi," said the pirate.

"You helped me when I needed it; it's only fair that I return the favour," said Katooni. "Now let's go before he digs himself out."

They left, but not before Katooni collected her friends' lightsabers.

* * *

Please review, and with any luck, there won't be a two month gap between now and the next update ;)


	7. Alderaan

Enjoy, fellow readers!

* * *

Alderaan

The entire ship shook violently just as Hondo and Katooni arrived in the cockpit.

"We've been hit!" said Parsel.

Behind them, several gunships were on their tail. A pirate named Jiro immediately took a seat next to Parsel and activated the ship's guns, but they were facing forwards instead of backwards.

"I can't turn them!" he reported.

R3 – who had remained on the ship throughout the mission – rolled up to the control panel and plugged himself in. In a few clicks the guns were turned round, and Jiro was able to take down the ships pursuing them with great accuracy. But when the ship left the capital's atmosphere, another problem arose.

"The hyper-drive's been hit," Parsel reported. "We'll have to stop and repair somewhere."

He brought up a holo-map of the few planets within their reach, showing Hondo the places where they could land. The only problem was all these planets were now part of the Empire, and most likely heavily guarded by Troopers. Katooni, who had been comforting the two younglings, stood up from the corner of the room where they were huddled and took a look at the map as well.

"What about Alderaan?" she suggested, pointing to the planet.

"It's part of the Empire," Hondo informed her.

"True, but my Master was good friends with Senator Bail Organa, who's married to the queen," the young Jedi explained. "Senator Organa was a firm supporter and sympathizer of the Jedi, believing in us when no one else did. If anyone believes that the Jedi are innocent, it's him."

Hondo wasn't sure.

"But would he help a bunch of pirates?" he asked.

"He will if he sees I'm with you," said Katooni. "I'll try contacting him on his comm-channel when we get closer."

Realizing there really weren't any other options, Hondo gave a nod of agreement and told Parsel to head for Alderaan. A few minutes later, after the cockpit had fallen silent, Hondo slapped Gwarm upside the head.

"OW!" the second-in-command complained, before giving Hondo a confused look.

"I gave you a very simple command, and you couldn't even do _that_ right," said the pirate chief. "I told you it'd be on your head if the tiny Jedi ran back to help me. And by 'it', I meant my hand."

"I couldn't stop her, boss!" Gwarm tried to explain.

Hondo only rolled his eyes.

* * *

Hours later they arrived above the planet of Alderaan, and Katooni was called back into the cockpit. She reluctantly left the two younglings – whom she'd discovered were named Lafayette and Nadia Chahaya – to their own devices before following Hondo in. Upon seeing the planet ahead, she knew what she had to do and used her comm-link to access Bail Organa's private comm-channel he had given to her master, who had in turn given it to her.

"Senator Organa, come in please," she spoke into it.

"_This is Senator Bail Organa_," spoke the familiar voice Katooni had come to know so well. "_Who is this, and how were you able to access this channel?_"

"Senator Organa, this is Jedi Master Stass Allie's Padawan, Katooni," the young Jedi informed him. "We met many times when my Master came to you for help."

"_Katooni?_" the Senator spoke with obvious relief, and his hologram appeared before her to show the emotion in his face. "_Thank the stars you're alive. When Master Allie was reported dead, I feared the worst. How did you escape?_"

"I was with my friend Petro on Saleucami when it happened," Katooni told him. "He helped me escape...but at the cost of his own life. Then my droid brought me to Florrum where I too refuge with a group of pirates."

"_The Ohnaka Gang? Yes, I remember them_," he said. "_Where are you now?_"

"We're right above Alderaan," Katooni replied. "Our hyper-drive has been damaged and we need to repair it. May we land?"

"_Of course_," said Senator Organa. "_I have a private hanger in the mountains outside the capital, Aldera. You can land there; I'm sending you the coordinates now._"

"We're on our way."

* * *

After the pirates landed, they set to work on pin-pointing the problem with the hyper-drive, and figuring out how to fix it. As it turned out, the damage was worse than they previously thought.

"The hyper-drive is beyond repair, boss," Parsel informed. "We'll need a new one."

A speeder pulled up, and both Hondo and Katooni turned to see Bail Organa climb out and approach them. Katooni hurried over while Hondo followed at a slower pace, and the Senator knelt down so he was eye level with the young Jedi.

"It's a miracle to see you alive," said Organa. "I'm so sorry for what happened to your Master, and your friend."

"We...also saw what happened in the Temple," Katooni told him. "And we found two younglings who survived."

"Younglings?"

The two younglings in question ran off the ship at that moment, laughing and chasing each other in a circle around Hondo, who had come to stand behind Katooni. The young Jedi smiled; it was nice to see that the younglings weren't completely traumatized.

When the two children hurried away to play in the grass nearby, Senator Organa rose to his feet as his eyes met the pirate's.

"Senator...Organa, I presume?" asked the pirate.

"Yes," replied the Senator. "You must be the one who took in Katooni."

"Out of the goodness of my heart, of course!" said Hondo.

"Really?" Katooni questioned him, not even trying to hide the smile that crept across her face. "I thought it was because you wanted to stay in the Jedi's good books in case you needed our help someday?"

Hondo just laughed while Bail raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, children tell the wildest stories!" said the pirate.

"They're not the only ones," said the Senator. "How are the repairs coming on your ship?"

"Not so well, I'm afraid," Hondo replied. "We need a new hyper-drive. If you have one to spare, I'm willing to pay a reasonable price."

This gave Katooni an idea.

"Senator, we were able to retrieve all the Holocrons from the vault in the Temple," she explained. "You can ask for those."

Hondo's face fell.

"What she said," said Bail, a small smirk upon his face.

"No! _Not_ a fair deal!" the pirate chief protested. "Those Jedi Holocrons are worth _far_ more than a simple hyper-drive!"

"All right, then," said the Senator. "How about in exchange for the Holocrons and their memory crystals, I'll give you the hyper-drive you need _and_ pay the rest in Nova crystals? Is that the currency pirates use?"

"One of many. Apart from Republic Credits – or are they Imperial Credits now?" he wondered, but then shrugged it off. "Doesn't matter. I won't be _using_ them."

"So is it a deal, then?" asked Bail.

"Of course, my good man!"

* * *

Hours later, the new hyper-drive had been installed and the pirates were ready to take off. The sacks of Holocrons had been loaded into the Senator's speeder, and beside them, the two Jedi younglings sat patiently.

"We will find a good home for them," Bail Organa was telling Katooni. "They'll be safe here."

"I hope so," said Katooni. "They've...been through a lot. I guess we all have."

"You're taking this remarkably well, for one so young," said the Senator.

"Well, I did have some help," the young Jedi admitted.

She turned and looked over at the pirates loading up the ship – more specifically, Hondo. Despite who he was and his life choice, Katooni didn't know where she would be if he hadn't taken her in. Being in his company had made things a lot less harder to deal with, and even though she didn't know how, she was grateful to him.

"I must admit, he's unlike any pirate I've ever encountered," Bail commented, also glancing over at the pirate captain, before his eyes settled upon Katooni again. "We must go now."

He turned to make his way over to the speeder, expecting the young Jedi to follow. But Katooni hesitated.

She looked over at Senator Organa before turning back towards the pirates again. Staying on Alderaan, she knew, would be the safer choice, but something in the Force told her it was not her fate. Something deep down – it could have been the Force or it could have been herself – told her to go with the pirates; to go with Hondo.

Many Jedi wouldn't approve of her choice...but in an odd way, it felt right.

"Katooni?" inquired Senator Organa, who had noticed her hesitation. "What is it?"

"I think...I'm going to stick with the pirates," she informed him. "Hondo's been keeping me safe since I've been in their company; I'm sure he'll continue to do it. I think the Force is telling me to go with them, and I'm going to follow its will."

At first, Bail gave her a look of surprised. But then he nodded.

"I understand," he said. "I'm not going to stand in the way of your decision."

Katooni smiled, and after waving him goodbye, she turned and hurried towards the ship.

"Hondo, wait up!"

Hondo – who had been climbing up the loading ramp last – turned to acknowledge the girl as she came to stop beside him. At first he looked surprised...but then he smiled, as if he knew she would make the decision to tag along.

Katooni smiled and nodded, before the two made their way up the ramp side by side, hands behind their backs.

* * *

Please review!


	8. Funeral for the Jedi

So I watched the Season 5 finale...

Wow. Just wow.

For those of you who are adamant that recent cartoons can't be emotional...just watch that last episode. That ending was...unexpected. I mean, I knew something had to happen to Ahsoka, but I didn't think **(SPOILER AHEAD)** she would actually leave the Order. She just seemed so dedicated to the Jedi.

But I can see why she left. The council (minus Obi-Wan and Plo Koon) didn't even defend her innocence; they just went with the evidence which was suspicious to begin with and handed her over to Captain Tarkin (yes, _that_ Tarkin) so she could be put on trial. And to make matters worse, it was her best friend who framed her... :(

And Anakin! We all know how badly he reacts to losing his loved ones; he spent the entire episode on a roaring rampage of revenge, threatening to kill Ventress if her information was wrong, and really letting Barriss have it when he fought her. And all for nothing when Ahsoka leaves...

OK, I'll stop talking about the episode. But it inspired me to write this next chapter (which references the episode). I hope you all enjoy it...and I really hope Hondo's in character. I love the guy, but he's annoying to write.

* * *

Funeral for the Jedi

Katooni placed the final candle down around the small pyre she had made, before settling herself upon her knees as she closed her eyes. The pyre before her had no body; instead the lightsabers of her friends rested upon it, with many candles circling as a substitute for burning the pyre itself.

It wasn't a proper funeral, like the ones she had attended at the Temple – which had become too frequent during the Clone Wars – but it would have to do. She wanted to hold one; the Jedi Order deserved something to help send them off into the warm embrace of the Force.

That thought made things bearable; the many members of the Jedi, her friends included, were now resting in the Force. She only wished they could have gone...under more peaceful circumstances.

The young Jedi ignored the laughter and the gunshots of the pirates in the main hall, who were drinking in celebration of the profit that had been made in selling the crystals. Each and every pirate was in attendance there...except for one.

And Katooni knew which one, because he had entered the room and was standing behind her in silence.

"You don't have to be here," she told him. "Go and celebrate with your men. You deserve to; whether you want to admit it or not, you did a good thing. Now those Holocrons can stay out of the hands of the Sith."

Hondo sighed before he took a seat next to her.

"That thought never crossed my mind," he told her. "And don't get me wrong; I know what it feels like to lose comrades. I've lost...many good men."

"You seemed to treat it like a business expense before," said Katooni, remembering that time when Hondo – who had been talking to Obi-Wan – had listed the death of his men among the cost of fuel and loss of weapons after escaping Grievous.

"There's one rule in this business, and it's one I stick to," Hondo informed her. "No one can know what's on your inside. If there's a weakness in there, people can take advantage of it. Not that I have any of that soft...squishiness in me."

Katooni rolled her eyes at his last statement.

"Then why am I still here?" she questioned.

"I could use a Jedi," he replied without hesitation – as if he'd been waiting for the question, and had rehearsed the answer many times.

The young Jedi decided to leave it at that. She knew that was the best she was going to get out of him; he was keeping up appearances, and the girl felt she should go along with it. For now.

"So what did you want to tell me?" she asked.

Hondo looked both surprised and confused at first.

"Oh, right, Jedi," he realized; he'd been certain he hadn't mentioned wanting to tell her something. "Well...I'm not exactly sure how to put this..."

"Just come right out and say it," said Katooni. "Believe me, things can't get any worse than they are now."

"That Sith was Skywalker."

She froze. Her blue eyes stared at Hondo as she looked for signs that he was lying, but after finding none, she searched through the Force and realized that he was telling the truth. The girl looked away, unsure what to say or what to think for the moments that followed.

"That...that can't be right," she stammered, despite what the Force had told her. "He was the Hero With No Fear. He was against the Sith most of all. He even caught a rogue Jedi right in front of us."

"He did?"

She nodded.

"There was an explosion in the Temple, and Ahsoka was framed for it," Katooni explained. "Master Skywalker believed she was innocent and tracked down the real culprit; it turned out to be another Padawan named Barriss Offee. He chased her, and they ended up outside near where I was in lightsaber training with the others. Master Skywalker took her into custody, and Ahsoka was cleared of her charges...but her trust in the Jedi must have been shaken by what happened, because straight afterwards she left the Order."

Remembering back to what had happened that day – and also recalling how close Master Skywalker had been to his Padawan – Katooni wondered if this had turned Anakin to the dark side. He certainly hadn't been the same afterwards. She also began to wonder if Ahsoka was alive somewhere, considering she was out of the way of the war and thus the Clone Troopers when the Jedi were killed.

Hondo was silent for a few minutes until he rose to his feet.

"I'll leave you, if that's what you want," he told her, turning to go.

In that moment Katooni realized she didn't want to be alone, and immediately rose to stop him.

"Wait!" she called, and when Hondo turned and sent her a raised eyebrow, the girl withdrew the hand she had outstretched towards him. "I mean...you can stay if you want. But you don't have to."

She quickly turned and sat herself down again, trying to hide her embarrassment. The young Jedi knew that if she wanted to fit in with these pirates, she needed to keep her feelings buried deep, like Hondo said. She wouldn't be getting anything in return if she showed them, so there was no use in showing them altogether.

But to her surprise, Hondo sat himself back down again and didn't leave until she had long fallen asleep.

* * *

Please review and tell me if that was OK. And also feel free to tell me what you all thought of the episode ;)


	9. Imperial Attack

Sorry for the wait. Hondo's character is incredibly hard to write, and it took several attempts to get him right in this chapter. I'm not even sure if the chapter is OK _now_.

I also have a rough idea now where I want to go with this story, so I hope people like it. Don't forget to review!

* * *

Imperial Attack

The attack came two weeks after the Holocron incident.

Katooni had just been getting used to living with the pirates. Hondo had found clothes for her to wear, to replace her Jedi robes; they consisted of a tight under-shirt orange/brown in colour, white under-leggings, a pair of black boots and a blue over-dress with a split in the bottom-front to prevent movement restriction. She was also provided with a pair of shoulder and knee pads, brown in colour.

A brown belt was also provided, which contained a blaster should she ever need it. Katooni had received a small amount of training at the Temple when it came to using a blaster, in case she ever lost her lightsaber and the Force wasn't an option, but this didn't prevent Hondo from teaching her a few tricks for her to use while in battle.

The pirates had grown used to her presence, having figured out that things would be easier with a Jedi around, and all in all, things were going well.

Katooni sensed that something was up when she entered the main foyer of Hondo's base, where many of his men were drinking and laughing. Unsure of what the Force was trying to tell her, she kept her focus on it – so much so that when she sat down, she sub-consciously reached out to take a glass of something she didn't know the name of, but was too young to drink.

"Ah, ah, ah!" said a voice, and Katooni was broken out of her trance when she turned to see Hondo snatch the glass away. "You may be a Jedi, but that doesn't make you old enough for this stuff."

"Sorry. I know I shouldn't have it," she told him. "I was just...distracted."

"Distracted?" asked Hondo, after taking a swig of the drink. "That's one of the first signs of over-drinking."

"I haven't drunk anything," Katooni informed. "It's something I can sense through the Force, but I can't seem to understand fully what it's trying to tell me. All I can understand is that something's coming...but it's being clouded by something...or someone..."

Suddenly the Force surged with warning, but before Katooni could tell Hondo this, something hit the base with a crash and the ground shook. The pirates inside stopped laughing and took out their blasters, and from the outside, Gwarm hurried in.

"It's the Empire, boss!" he announced. "They came out of nowhere!"

Hondo took out his blaster and followed his second-in-command outside, while Katooni hurried to catch up with her lightsaber in hand. Pilf and Pikk hurried up to them, the former settling himself on Hondo's shoulder while the latter hopped up onto Katooni's, and they all looked up into the skies to see what had hit them.

Two Star Destroyers had appeared overhead, and beneath them several gunships had been launched, all of which were making their way towards the base at frightening speed. They began shooting, and the pirates outside ducked for cover to avoid being hit.

Hondo just remained still, barely even flinching when the blasts hit close to where he was standing. Even Katooni used her arms to cover her head, and wondered how Hondo could just stand there like that.

"Well, that settles it," said Hondo, and Katooni couldn't be sure whether he was talking to her or himself. "These new Imperialists are no friends of mine!"

"You think?" Katooni said back.

A group of pirates brought out some arm cannons and shot at the approaching gunships, and while some of them were hit, this didn't even put a dent in the landing party; there were still too many to deal with, and when they landed, hundreds of Troopers came charging out in attack.

When another gunship was shot down, it landed far too close for comfort. The two monkey-lizards scattered while Katooni immediately crouched into a defensive position. Even Hondo was forced to kneel in order to avoid the flying debris, taking the opportunity to wrap his arms around the girl to shield her from the blast.

"They're after me, aren't they?" said Katooni, once they stood up again.

"Maybe, maybe not," Hondo replied. "I imagine they wouldn't want to be friends even if you _weren't_ here. These new Imperialists aren't reasonable; instead of offering friendship, they choose to blow things up."

The Troopers were closing in, and the pirates fired back in order to prevent them from getting closer. Blaster fire was everywhere, and as Hondo began to return fire with accuracy, Katooni deflected the blasts back at the Troopers with her lightsaber. She was able to hit a few, which she smiled at; deflecting blasts had always been a trouble for her in lightsaber training.

It was only after she used the Force to bring a large piece of debris down upon a group of Troopers, did they realize there was a Jedi there and began to hone in on Katooni's position. The attack grew surprisingly fast after that.

"I know you won't want to abandon your base," Katooni called to Hondo, "but we won't be able to hold it for much longer."

She gestured to the increasing amount of pirates who were falling, either by being shot or after engaging in hand to hand combat with Troopers and losing. Hondo surveyed the situation, and while his eyes were mostly hidden behind his goggles, Katooni could read his expression. He didn't like the idea of losing his men pointlessly.

A speeder near the both of them was hit, and exploded immediately. Both pirate and Jedi were knocked backwards from the blast, and when Katooni landed, her Tholothian headdress was sent flying. Her hair came undone and hung loosely as she picked herself up; she saw where her headdress had landed only moments before it was crushed underneath falling debris.

Hondo also got to his feet before placing a hand upon the girl's shoulder and leading her inside; the blast had made him realize how serious the situation was.

"Retreat!" he called out.

The pirates around them didn't waste time in turning to flee, heading back into the base. Once everyone was inside Hondo ordered his men to block the doors to prevent entry; as the final doors closed, he saw gunships in the distance which were carrying tanks beneath them. He knew it wouldn't be long before they came and blasted the base away.

R3 rolled up to Katooni and gave a few beeps of concern, while the two monkey-lizards reappeared as Hondo began to lead the way through the many hallways of the base. The other pirates seemed to already know what to do; they were gathering what they could carry and heading towards the emergency landing platform within the base.

Katooni ran to her room and gathered her friends' lightsabers in a bag before hurrying to catch up with Hondo. Only then did she realize that Hondo wasn't heading towards the landing platform, and Katooni wondered what he was up to.

They arrived outside what appeared to be a large safe, which had been opened. Gwarm was already there, along with Parsel, Jiro and a larger pirate named Goru. They were removing Nova crystals and packing them up as quickly as they could.

"Hurry up, we don't have much time," said Hondo.

A large blast shook the base, causing them all to pause and look around hesitantly. The blast had hit awfully close to the emergency landing platform...

Katooni winced as the after effect hit her hard through the Force, and stumbled in order to gather herself. R3 rolled forwards to give her something to lean on while Hondo gave her a questioning look.

"What is it, Tooni?" he asked, using the nickname he'd given the young Jedi.

"It was like...hundreds of voices crying out for barely a second, before being silenced," she replied.

Hondo tried to contact his men who were at the landing platform, but the line was dead.

"Looks like we're escaping the hard way," he said.

The pirate walked away down the hall, muttering under his breath how rude the imperialists were for costing him valuable men and resources, and how they had no respect for businessmen. Having gathered all the Nova crystals, the pirates hurried after him. Katooni followed at a slower pace; she was still trying to get over sensing so many life-Forces go out all at once.

More blasts shook the base as they arrived in a small hanger and began to pile onto a speeder tank. Katooni wondered how this was going to help them escape, but then Hondo took out a remote from his pocket, and having a flashback to their similar escape during the war the girl realized what he was planning.

Sure enough, one of the walls opened up, leading into a dark tunnel which led downwards into the ground.

"That leads to a secret fleet of ships, doesn't it?" she asked the pirate leader.

He chuckled.

"It's like my dear mother always used to say; son, it's always good to be prepared with a spare fleet of ships, but it's even _better_ to be crazily prepared with a dozen others!"


	10. Tatooine

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!

Seeing the title of this chapter, you can probably guess that a certain Jedi Master will be making an appearance... ;)

Enjoy!

* * *

Tatooine

The YT-1300 light freighter entered hyper-space once it was clear of Florrum and the attacking Star Destroyers, and only then did its passengers allow themselves to relax.

The escape from the planet had been quick; upon arriving in the secret underground hanger which held the backup fleet, Hondo had wasted no time in boarding the best and the fastest out of all the ships. Since the hanger was so far away from the main base, it had taken the Imperials some time to notice them.

When they'd left the atmosphere, Katooni had sensed the familiar dark presence from before; the Sith Lord who had once been Anakin Skywalker was on one of the Star Destroyers, and it explained how they were able to arrive unnoticed.

The girl left the cockpit and sat herself down in a back room, in order to get some rest. The adrenalin from the battle was wearing off, and the pain from the cuts and bruises she'd gained were finally catching up with her; she stretched out, using the Force to minimize the pain.

Pilf and Pikk hurried in, taking seats on random perches in the room, before Hondo himself wandered in.

"Tiny Jedi?"

"Just stretching," said Katooni; she knew he'd been inquiring about any injuries she may have gained, but also knew he wouldn't say it outright. "Using the Force to dull the pain."

"Can you do that for me first?" he asked. "You brilliant leader must always come before yourself."

Katooni suppressed a giggle.

"Doing that for someone else takes a lot of skill and concentration," she explained. "Only Jedi Masters can do it, as far as I'm aware. I'm just a Padawan."

She reached up and tucked the loose Padawan braid behind her ear. With her headdress gone, there was nowhere to hide it, and she figured that it would be a good idea to cut it off. The girl wondered if she could tie it around her lightsaber.

Speaking of lightsabers... Katooni peered into the bag she'd placed by her side, just to make sure the four lightsabers were still there. She sighed when she saw that they were.

"You know," began Hondo, upon seeing the bag, "those lightsabers would be worth a fortune. Have you considered selling them on the black market?"

A glare from Katooni was enough of an answer for him.

"For starters, a lightsaber is a symbol of peace," she explained, as if the glare hadn't been enough. "They're meant to protect and defend, and in the wrong hands they would do the opposite. And I would be disrespecting the memory of the Jedi _and_ my friends if I sold them."

Hondo held his hands up in defence and took a step back. The last thing he wanted was for her to take one and use it on _him_.

"OK, OK, I understand!" he said hurriedly. "I thought maybe the profit would make you consider it."

Katooni thought for a moment.

"Is there one thing you have which you know is worth a fortune, but you keep anyway because it means a lot to you?" she asked.

The pirate paused to think.

"No! Not a thing!"

Katooni rolled her eyes.

"Never mind," she said, before changing the subject. "Where are we heading?"

"To a sandy dustball of a planet I hoped never to set foot on again," the pirate replied. "Tatooine."

* * *

Hondo had his remaining men land the ship in the Jundland Wastes, so as not to attract any unwanted attention. Katooni had spent most of the journey through hyper-space listening to Hondo as he told the story of why he never visited the planet; he'd angered Porla the Hutt some years before. The pirate specifically stated that it was the Hutt's own fault, but Katooni doubted it; she knew Hondo too well.

Long story short: if the Hutts ever found Hondo on one of their planets, he'd be killed. It was really that simple.

But with no other backwater planets to go to, they had no choice. And Hondo reasoned that what the Hutts didn't know wouldn't hurt _him_ (gaining a massive eye roll from Katooni).

Upon landing, the pirates got to work in repairing their ship; it had been damaged during their escape, and it was a miracle they'd even been able to make the jump to hyper-space. While Hondo oversaw the repairs, Katooni began to climb the rocks surrounding them; she reasoned that it would be best if someone kept an eye on the area, in case there was danger.

As she was doing this, though, she felt something through the Force. A young and raw – and incredibly strong – Force-presence. So strong that it almost caused her to topple from the rock she was stood upon.

She at first thought it to be another Jedi, but the presence felt too young. Weeks old, at the most. Leaving it be would have been the best option, but then Katooni began to think harder; what if the Sith came and discovered this presence? What if they took whoever it belonged to and trained them in the dark side of the Force?

The girl decided to at least investigate. She turned back to where Hondo and his men were still fixing the ship; they looked busy, and if she told Hondo about it, she knew he would want to use this Force-presence for profit somehow. So she took off on her own.

Unfortunately, she was spotted by R3 and the two monkey-lizards. R3 at first rolled after her, beeping like crazy in an attempt to stop her, but couldn't make it past the rocks. The monkey-lizards could, but they chose instead to hurry over to Hondo and inform him.

"What is it?" Hondo asked when they landed upon his shoulders.

The two creatures chirped and pointed over to where R3 was still trying to figure out how to follow Katooni. Hondo didn't know what they were going on about at first...but when he saw that Katooni had left her position on the high rock, he put two and two together.

"Kids..." he muttered to himself, before going over to R3. "Where did she go?"

R3 beeped several times in response, gesturing in the direction of the rocks. Hondo just sighed and shook his head, before turning back to his men.

"Carry on with the repairs," he told them. "I'm going Jedi hunting."

He began to climb the rocks, taking out his blaster should he need it. Pilf and Pikk followed, while R3 rolled back to the ship to help with the repairs.

Hondo hadn't been searching for very long when he spotted movement up ahead. It was too large to be Katooni, but he followed it nonetheless. When he got closer, he saw what it was; a cloaked figure moving silently, their hood up which concealed their face.

Just as Hondo began to wonder what someone was doing in the Jundland Wastes alone, Pilf and Pikk decided to make a bold attempt and leapt at the figure.

It was almost like the figure sensed they were there, for as they were descending down upon him or her, the figure turned and raised a hand in the direction of the creatures. Both froze in mid-air, before they were hurtled away with cries of shock.

Unsure what else to do, Hondo took aim with his blaster and fired.

The figure dodged the first few blasts, and then to Hondo's surprise, the figure ignited a blue lightsaber and deflected the blasts back at him. Hondo knew this wouldn't end well for him – this person was most obviously a Jedi, although he wasn't sure how this one had survived – so dropped his blaster and raised his arms up in surrender.

"There's no need for this to get messy!" he said. "We can be friends!"

"Hondo?"

Hondo lowered his arms as the figure simultaneously lowered his hood...revealing a familiar face.

"Kenobi!" exclaimed the pirate, breaking into a wide grin. "You survived! It's been too long, my good man!"

"Not long enough, I'm afraid," said Obi-Wan Kenobi in his usual dry manner.

* * *

Don't forget to review! :D


	11. Master Kenobi

Wow, I haven't updated this story since May. Sorry, guys. Life just got in the way, and my muse hasn't been focussed on this story lately.

The loss of my muse has caused me to rethink where I'm going with this story, which led to cutting several future chapters when I realized they weren't going anywhere. So now, instead of a thirty-something chapter story, it has been reduced to only seventeen. Meaning that not including this one, there's only six more chapters to go. But the ending is something I'm pleased with, and I hope you all will be, too.

* * *

Master Kenobi

Hondo laughed as he cheerfully slapped Obi-Wan on the back.

"And people say you Jedi have no sense of humour!" he exclaimed.

Obi-Wan didn't bother trying to explain to him that his words had been no joke; he really didn't want to see him. But he supposed the pirate wouldn't have understood that, either.

"Although I'm happy to see you, Hondo – and I say that with the driest sarcasm I can manage – what are you doing here in the wastelands?"

"It was _terrible_, Kenobi!" Hondo began, and Obi-Wan knew he was about to receive one of the pirate's over-exaggerated story. "Me and my men were just minding our own business at our base when BOOM! The Empire show up and blow everything into the sky! Can you _believe_ that? What did I ever do to them?"

"What was the last thing you did before this happened?" Obi-Wan asked with a raised eyebrow. "I know you, Hondo; a profit for you usually upsets those on the receiving end of your little "business trips", as you call them."

"We did nothing wrong!" Hondo denied. "Yes, we may have broken into the Jedi Temple and stolen a few Holocrons – well, all of them. But that's no excuse to get upset! They weren't even being used, anyway, what with the Jedi gone."

Obi-Wan's eyebrow raised even higher.

"You broke into the Jedi Temple. To steal Holocrons."

"All in your memory, of course!" said Hondo. "You Jedi were very decent fellows. And who knows what could have happened if the Sith used those Holocrons of yours?"

"For once, I agree with you there," Obi-Wan admitted. "Although I am curious to know what you did with them?"

"A senator has them," said Hondo. "That one on Alderaan; Bail...something, I think."

Obi-Wan sighed with relief. At least the Holocrons were in good hands until the Jedi could rise again. But something else was bothering him...

"How were you able to get those Holocrons, exactly?" he asked. "Even with the Temple abandoned, only a Jedi can get into the vault."

"Yes, we had a Jedi with us!" said Hondo. "Which reminds me; have you seen her? She's about yay high, Padawan age, Tholothian, big blue eyes; shouldn't be too hard to spot, being one of two Jedi in the area."

Obi-Wan blinked in surprise. He was aware that besides Master Yoda and himself, other Jedi had been able to escape Order 66; there were simply too many of them for all of them to be killed at once. It warmed his heart to know that a younger Jedi had survived, but how she'd ended up with Hondo...

"I recall her," he said. "But how did she end up in your company?"

"She was one of those younglings I rescued during the war," Hondo explained. "When the Jedi were killed, she came running back to old Uncle Hondo, and I took her under my wing out of the goodness of my heart!"

Obi-Wan resisted the urge to roll his eyes at that.

"Has she been useful to you?" he asked, guessing the answer to the question immediately, for it would be the only reason Hondo would take in a Jedi, and a young Jedi at that.

"Very useful!" exclaimed Hondo. "Now come along, Kenobi! You need to use those tricks of yours to find my tiny Jedi!"

That time, Obi-Wan _did_ roll his eyes.

* * *

Katooni was surprised when she felt the presence of both Pilf and Pikk, just moments before they leapt down from the rocks higher up and landed on a shoulder each.

"Pilf? Pikk? What's wrong?" she asked them.

They squawked and chattered, both at the same time, while trying to tug her back the way she'd come. But Katooni resisted their attempts.

"I'll come back to the ship in a minute," she told them. "I can feel something in the Force, and I need to find out what it is."

In the end she lightly Force-pushed them both off her shoulders before walking away. Pilf threw his hands up in annoyance while Pikk face-palmed – showing just how intelligent these creatures were – before they hurried after her.

Katooni paused when she reached the edge of the wastelands, and down below, she saw several moisture vaporators in the ground. She spotted the farm they belonged to in the distance.

But her attention was drawn to the people picking mushrooms which had grown at the bases of the vaporators. The man was furthest away, his back towards her as he worked, but the woman – his wife, Katooni assumed – was closer. And there was a small bundle on her back; a baby, wrapped in cloth to shade him or her from Tatooine's twin suns.

Katooni realized that it was this baby – a _him_, she soon sensed – who had caused the disturbance in the Force.

She sensed that the man felt suddenly uneasy, and she was able to get out of sight moments before he turned to look in her direction. With nothing else to do, Katooni decided to hurry back to Hondo's ship, with the relieved lizard-monkeys following.

The young Jedi ran around one of the rocks and collided with someone, causing her to stumble back. She briefly wondered how she hadn't felt the presence of another through the Force.

"There you are, Tooni!" Hondo exclaimed, patting Katooni on the back. "You'll be pleased to see what Uncle Hondo found wandering around on this dust-ball!"

Katooni looked up to ask the pirate what he meant...but then she noticed the figure stood beside him, and gasped.

It was Obi-Wan Kenobi. He was standing there – _right there_ – before her, alive and well, apart from the hint of sadness in his eyes. He looked the same but different, but that didn't matter to her; he was _alive_. She wasn't the last of the Jedi, and it sent a flood of happiness coursing through her which made her leap at him in a burst of emotion.

"Master Kenobi!"

She flung her arms around his waist, and the Jedi Master stiffened underneath her grip, having rarely been on the receiving end of such emotion. It took him a few moments to react, which he did by placing his hands gently on her shoulders.

"I'm glad to see you safe, young one," he told her as she pulled away.

Only then did she realize what she'd done.

"I apologize for my over-show of emotion, Master Kenobi," she said.

"There is no need to apologize," Obi-Wan assured her. "With all that has happened, the emotional response was most welcome, if surprising."

"I thought I was the only one left," Katooni admitted. "Well, apart from the two younglings we found alive in the Temple. But besides them, I thought everyone was gone."

Obi-Wan was surprised to hear that two younglings had survived also – especially since he'd been inside the Temple and had found no traces of life.

"Where are those younglings now?" he asked.

"On Alderaan," Katooni replied. "Do you know of any other Jedi who survived?"

"I know others survived, but I don't know who apart from one," Obi-Wan answered. "Master Yoda, although I'm not allowed to reveal his location to anyone."

"I understand," said Katooni, sending Hondo a sideways glance; the pirate attempted to give her his best look of innocence.

"Is your ship nearby?" Obi-Wan asked the pirate.

"Yes, I'll show you!" Hondo exclaimed, before the three of them – plus the two monkey-lizards – began to hike back in that direction.

Katooni hurried on ahead, using the Force to hop from one rock to another, with the monkey-lizards hopping along beside her. Both Obi-Wan and Hondo watched her as they followed.

"I once told you, Kenobi, that staging a rescue is not an inexpensive proposition," said Hondo.

"You want payment for Katooni's rescue," said Obi-Wan flatly.

"That, and the rescue of two other younglings," Hondo began to list, "the retrieval of the Holocrons – the senator paid me already, but as a Jedi I'm sure you wish to express gratitude as well – and there's also the men and equipment I lost when the Empire attacked, since I was defending the little one from them. _And_ there's also payment required if you want her with you."

"I don't have any money, so I can't pay you anything," Obi-Wan informed the pirate. "And even if I did, keeping Katooni with me would be too risky. With two Jedi in the same place, there's a chance the Sith could detect us."

"So you prefer her to stay with a band of pirates?" he questioned.

"I never thought I would say this, but yes," said the Jedi Master. "The galaxy has changed; if the Jedi are to survive, we must adapt. We are now outlaws just as much as you are."

"Well, I won't complain," said Hondo. "Having a Jedi is very useful."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He knew that ever since Hondo had captured Dooku, and then both himself and Anakin, the pirate had developed a fascination with the Jedi, along with a respect for them. Obi-Wan recalled, after the Maul incident, being asked to join the pirates by Hondo – several times, while he waited for Anakin to come and get him. He had declined every time, and Hondo had shown no resentment towards him for this.

But this had happened during the war, when Jedi were still respected by innocents and feared by criminals. Things had changed, as he'd said; now Jedi were fugitives, and the most wanted ones at that. Hiding a Jedi would be more trouble than it was worth, and since Hondo valued profit above all else, Obi-Wan thought he would not risk losing such profit.

And yet, he was willing to keep Katooni under his wing – when it would be easier for him to either abandon her or, worse yet, turn her over to the Empire for money. Recalling the incident which involved Katooni and the other younglings, he remembered when Hondo had left them after the rescue; the pirate had paused at the top of the ramp leading to his ship, turned, and exchanged a warm glance with one the younglings.

That youngling had been Katooni. It was this memory which pushed away Obi-Wan's fears that Hondo would change his mind about keeping her.

They reached the clearing where Hondo's ship was being repaired; the other pirates looked done, and were packing away the tools they'd been using.

"Repairs are done, boss," Gwarm called over to Hondo. "We should get going."

"Let me have a look," said Hondo, waking over to his second-in-command with the two monkey-lizards following.

Katooni approached Obi-Wan again.

"I found out what happened to Master Skywalker," she told him. "I'm sorry."

Obi-Wan released his grief into the Force and sighed.

"The past cannot be changed," he said. "But it will help us prepare for the future. When the time comes for the Jedi to reappear, you will know. There is a new hope for us yet."

"The boy."

Obi-Wan only nodded.

"I must stay here and guard him," he said. "You must go with Hondo and keep your distance from the Empire. Hide your presence; remember your training unless it conflicts with your new identity."

"Yes, Master Kenobi," said Katooni, giving him another hug which this time he returned.

After sending him one final smile, Katooni turned and walked back to the ship, joining Hondo and his men as they boarded. Obi-Wan remained where he was and watched the ship take to the air and leave Tatooine behind.

* * *

Again, I apologize for the wait. Hopefully the next chapter will be up tomorrow.

Don't forget to review! :D


	12. Jedi on Onderon

OK, I'm going to warn you all now; my muse for this story hasn't been very active, and I was barely able to get out this chapter and the last. This does not mean, however, that I have abandoned this story. It only means that I'll be taking a short break from it, while my muse focusses on other things.

I'm sure that when the _Clone Wars_ DVD comes out in October – and I'm able to watch "A Necessary Bond" again – my muse will return and this story will get done. Heck, if I find the episode on TV again I might get it done sooner. But for now, there'll be no updates any time soon. I'm really sorry, but it'll save me writing bad chapters because I'm forcing myself.

Like I said, this story is not abandoned. Just on hold. But here's my gift to you all as a thank you for (hopefully) understanding.

* * *

Jedi on Onderon

It was after they had left the atmosphere that Gwarm informed Hondo.

"A transmission was sent to our base," he explained. "Since there was nothing to receive it, it bounced to all our ships. The Jedi's droid was able to pick it up."

R3 beeped in acknowledgement.

"Well, let's see it, then," said Hondo.

The droid rolled over to the ship's controls and plugged himself in; he adjusted himself a few times before the transmission appeared before them. It was of a boy, possibly sixteen or seventeen, dressed in ragged clothing which did not match with his senatorial look. Hondo was surprised, however, by the fact that he recognized the boy; he was one of the rebels on Onderon, whom Hondo had only seen briefly when he'd delivered rocket launchers to the planet during the Clone Wars.

"Hondo Ohnaka, this is Senator Lux Bonteri of Onderon," said the boy. "We met briefly during the battle for Onderon's freedom from the Separatists, when you delivered several rocket launchers to us. A good friend of mine has told me of your tenuous alliance with the Jedi, and she is hopeful of your opposition to the formation of the Empire; if that is the case, we urgently request the delivery of any weapons you can spare for us. Onderon is once again locked in a struggle, this time against the Empire, and without weapons there is no hope of survival. We will pay you, of course. If you wish to respond to this message, rendezvous with us in the same place as last time. Bonteri out."

The transmission cut off.

"They need our help," said Katooni, and when Hondo raised an eyebrow – or what would be his eyebrow if he were Human – in her direction, she added, "and we could use the profit."

It annoyed her that she had to say these things, but at least it got Hondo's attention.

"Do we even know if they have the payment?" asked Jiro.

"And what weapons could we supply, even if they did?" Goru added.

"There's plenty in the back; I had this ship stacked, since it was planned for a hasty escape," said Hondo. "The tiny Jedi is right; we need the profit more than we need the weapons. Set a course for Onderon."

Gwarm and Parsel began to chart the course, and Hondo left the bridge in order to double check the weapons they had stored. Katooni followed, deep in thought; something Lux said had caught her attention.

"The boy said that a good friend of his told him about you," she spoke up. "That you had a tenuous alliance with the Jedi."

"We were friends!" Hondo insisted.

Katooni chose not to roll her eyes at that.

"But who else would know about that?" she continued. "I don't think the Jedi would have told too many people about being allied with pirates. I think there's a Jedi on Onderon."

Hondo nodded; she was right, and he had a suspicion as to which Jedi it was.

* * *

Using the pirates' usual smuggling technique, the ship left hyper-space just outside the planet's surface, in order to avoid detection from the blockade Hondo had correctly predicted would be around the planet. They then soared onwards towards the rendezvous point.

Upon arrival the clearing began to fill with rebels; men and women, some riding the great beasts that were well known on the planet, and all looking worse for wear. It appeared there had already been some form of battle.

Upon landing Katooni went to follow the pirates down the ramp, but Hondo placed a hand on her shoulder to prevent her.

"Wait here," he told her, giving her no reason as to why.

Katooni complied, but remained in the shadows of the doorway so she could see what was going on. The four other pirates carried the crates of weapons while Hondo walked over to the boy from the transmission; the boy was stood with a man whose eyes were bright green, and another figure who wore a cloak to shield their face.

It was the cloaked figure who caught Katooni's attention, for she knew that if there truly was a Jedi on Onderon, they would conceal themselves in order to avoid detection from an outside party. Keeping her attention fixed upon the potential Jedi, Katooni realized that the figure was female; her body was too lean to belong to any form of male, no matter the species, and this train of thought led her to the conclusion that the Jedi was either Human or Near-Human.

Upon noticing that the cloak's hood concealed a distinctive Togruta lekku, Katooni realized exactly who this Jedi was.

Disobeying Hondo's orders, she hurried down the ramp and ran towards the group, interrupting their negotiations. She drew to a halt with her eyes fixed upon the cloaked Jedi.

"Is it really you?" she asked.

There was a pause. Hondo was staring at Katooni with surprise, while the boy and the man were looking between both her and the cloaked figure. The figure – the female Jedi – was staring at her too, for a moment unsure what to say or do...

...until she pulled back her hood to reveal a familiar face.

"Katooni?"

The young Jedi smiled before she leapt into the arms of Ahsoka Tano.

* * *

"I'm so glad to hear that Master Kenobi lives," said Ahsoka. "And Master Yoda."

She and Katooni were sat down on a nearby rock. In the background, the rebels were aiding the pirates in unloading the weapons, while Hondo was still bargaining with Lux and the other man. Ahsoka and Katooni had stepped aside in order to catch up on what had happened, and Katooni had explained to her how she'd ended up with Hondo and what had happened since.

She had told Ahsoka everything – other than the identity of the new Sith Lord, Darth Vader. The young Jedi was unsure how Ahsoka would take that, being the former apprentice of Master Skywalker. Unless she knew already.

"I was upset when you left the Order, Ahsoka," said Katooni. "But I think it saved your life."

"I came here after I left," Ahsoka explained. "Lux is a good friend of mine, and he offered me a place to stay while I figured things out. I felt the shift in the Force a few weeks later. I didn't understand why...until I saw the HoloNet."

"Master Kenobi told me that we have to lie low," said Katooni. "Blend in with the populace; do what we wouldn't have done before."

"And teaming up with Hondo was the way to go?"

"He _did_ save me," Katooni explained. "And Master Kenobi didn't mind; so long as I kept out of the way of the Empire and undetected. It could be worse."

Ahsoka could admit that Katooni had a point with that. There were far worse people to be with than Hondo, and unless there was a huge profit to make, the former Jedi knew that Hondo wouldn't hurt Katooni intentionally. Plus, Hondo's respect for the Jedi seemed to be genuine.

Of course, with the high bounty on all of their heads, Ahsoka wasn't sure how long it would be before the pirate would be tempted to hand Katooni over to the Empire.

It was soon time for the pirates to leave, and Katooni was called back over to the ship by Hondo. She gave Ahsoka one final hug before hurrying over, waving over her shoulder. Ahsoka walked over at a slower pace, approaching Hondo.

"Well, I can't say I'm not surprised to see you here," he told her. "Kenobi said you Jedi were lying low; fighting with rebels isn't really lying low, is it?"

"I'm only doing what feels right," said Ahsoka. "Speaking of which, if anything happens to Katooni, I'll be coming after you. And it won't end well for you."

Hondo chuckled.

"I may be a pirate, Ahsoka," he said, "but I give you my word that it is not my intention to harm her."

"I know you, Hondo," Ahsoka pointed out. "I know that you'll do anything for profit. You must know how much she's worth to the Empire; how much Master Kenobi and I are worth, as well. How do I know you won't hand her over and then tell them where we are, too?"

"The Empire are no friends of mine!" Hondo exclaimed. "And if a Jedi is what they want, a Jedi is something they will _not_ get from me!"

And with that, he turned and walked up the ramp of his ship, his finger still pointed in the air.

Ahsoka watched with surprised. She hadn't expected him to declare that; to turn down the opportunity of making a large profit simply because he hated the Empire. Sure, hatred could run deep – it was his hatred for the Separatists which had brought him into the favour of the Jedi – but it still caught her off guard.

As the ship began to take off, Lux joined her side.

"You know, he didn't ask for as much payment as we thought he would," he said. "He's not actually that bad. For a pirate, I mean."

Ahsoka turned to him, then back to the departing ship; thinking of Katooni, she wondered.

* * *

I'll see you all again in October at the latest, and don't forget to review! :D


End file.
